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North Carolina Ranks As One Of The Most Sinful States, But Not As High As Our Neighbors

The climate of the US is incredibly devised, especially between states that have different cultures, views, and ways of life. And we are quick to point at those different than…

North Carolina sinful
BrianAJackson/Getty Images Plus

The climate of the US is incredibly devised, especially between states that have different cultures, views, and ways of life. And we are quick to point at those different than us,  as the source of all that is wrong with the U.S. But none of us are perfect, and we all have plenty of things we can work on. Another way to look at it, we are all committing sins. So in that honor, our friends at WalletHub conducted a study to name the most sinful states in 2023. And, not great news, North Carolina ranked in the top 15 of this sinful states list.

What exactly is a sin? The Oxford Dictionary defines since as "an immoral act considered to be a transgression against divine law." And these sins can be costly. On one hand, gambling costs the U.S. about $5 billion per year, according to WalletHub. Though it brings in much more than that in tourism money. WalletHub also says that another sin, smoking, costs us over $300 billion per year. The Bible talks about the 7 deadly sins which according to Britanica are:

1. vainglory, or pride,

2. greed, or covetousness

3. lust, or inordinate or illicit sexual desire

4. envy

5. gluttony, which is usually understood to include drunkenness,

6. wrath, or anger

But back to the states. Some states are more well-behaved than others. So in order to determine the states that most give in to their desires, WalletHub compared the 50 states across 47 key indicators of immoral or illicit behavior. The data set ranges from violent crimes per capita to excessive drinking to the share of the population with gambling disorders. Keep reading to see the most sinful states including North Carolina in the top 10. Read the full WalletHub study here.

1. Nevada

Nevadamiroslav_1/Getty Images Plus

Wallet Hub Vice Index: 58.36

Anger & Hatred: 10

Jealousy: 4

Excesses & Vices: 8

Greed: 1

2. California

CaliforniaMarcelo Fabian Mollaretti/Getty Images Plus

Wallet Hub Vice Index: 57.87

Anger & Hatred: 12

Jealousy: 22

Excesses & Vices: 41

Greed: 4

<strong>Excesses &amp; Vices</strong>: 41

<strong>Greed</strong>: 4

3. Louisiana

LouisianaIngo Dörenberg/Getty Images Plus

Wallet Hub Vice Index: 51.12

Anger & Hatred: 5

Jealousy: 1

Excesses & Vices: 1

Greed: 23

4. Florida

Floridakrblokhin/Getty Images Plus

Wallet Hub Vice Index: 52.62

Anger & Hatred: 38

Jealousy: 6

Excesses & Vices: 40

Greed: 37

5. Pennsylvania

PEnnAndreyKrav/Getty Images Plus

Wallet Hub Vice Index: 52.16

Anger & Hatred: 37

Jealousy: 16

Excesses & Vices: 33

Greed: 9

6. Texas

TexasДмитрий Ларичев/Getty Images Plus

Wallet Hub Vice Index: 52.01

Anger & Hatred: 30

Jealousy: 10

Excesses & Vices: 35

Greed: 43

7. Tennessee

Tennessee

<strong style="font-size: 16px;">Wallet Hub Vice Index</strong><span style="font-size: 16px;">: 51.43</span>

Anger & Hatred: 2

Jealousy: 13

Excesses & Vices: 4

Greed: 5

8. Illinois

Illinoiswellesenterprises/Getty Images Plus

Wallet Hub Vice Index: 50.38

Anger & Hatred: 7

Jealousy: 11

Excesses & Vices: 27

Greed: 36

9. South Carolina

South Carolina Small towns summerOleksii Liskonih/Getty Images Plus

Wallet Hub Vice Index: 50.19

Anger & Hatred: 3

Jealousy: 7

Excesses & Vices: 13

Greed: 12

10. New York

New YorkStockByM

Wallet Hub Vice Index: 48.51

Anger & Hatred: 18

Jealousy: 19

Excesses & Vices: 46

Greed: 48

11. Maryland

MarylandLady-Photo/Getty Images Plus

Wallet Hub Vice Index: 47.83

Anger & Hatred: 36

Jealousy: 8

Excesses & Vices: 28

Greed: 32

12. North Carolina

ncalbertc111/Getty Images Plus

Wallet Hub Vice Index: 47.53

Anger & Hatred: 31

Jealousy: 20

Excesses & Vices: 12

Greed: 10

13. Oklahoma

OklahomaCavan Images/Getty Images Plus

Wallet Hub Vice Index: 47.05

Anger & Hatred: 15

Jealousy: 28

Excesses & Vices: 17

Greed: 3

14. Alabama

AlabamaAllard1/Getty Images Plus

Wallet Hub Vice Index: 47.05

Anger & Hatred: 6

Jealousy: 12

Excesses & Vices: 11

Greed: 35

15. Arizona

Chandler AZpmphoto/Getty Images Plus

Wallet Hub Vice Index: 46.09

Anger & Hatred: 25

Jealousy: 14

Excesses & Vices: 31

Greed: 37

Melanie Day is a graduate of North Carolina State University. She has worked for Beasley since 2012 in a variety of behind-the-scenes roles in both digital and promotions. Melanie writes about a diverse range of topics some of her favorites include travel, restaurants, Taylor Swift, and college athletics. When not at work you'll find her at a country concert or NC State sporting event.